1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a door handle device for a walk-in type refrigerator and freezer, and more particularly to a door handle device which can be unlocked from indoor side by a person working in the refrigerator, who is trapped therein owing to an erroneous door closing operation of another person from outdoor side or to any accident. The person can escape from the refrigerator by himself with a manual operation of the door handle device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The present inventor proposed a door handle device previously in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 40978/1972, which includes a latch receiver unit divided into a fixed seat secured to a wall of a refrigerator, and a latch receiver body connected pivotably to the fixed seat. The latch receiver body is designed so that, when a push rod is operated from the inside of the refrigerator to turn the latch receiver body, a latch member of a handle unit attached to a refrigerator door and a latch receiving member of the latch receiver body can disengage from each other.
However, in this door handle device, the fixed seat and the latch receiver body are connected by a belt-like connector which is liable to be bent when a greater stress is imparted thereto. Therefore, the extent to which the solidity of the structure constituting the handle device can be increased is limited to a certain level.
In order to re-assemble the fixed seat and the latch receiver body after the trapped person escapes by himself, it is necessary that these parts be put in order as the connector and an interlocking means joined thereto are retained in the predetermined positions. This causes the re-assembling operation to become complicated.